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As we put away the grill, pack up the leftover hot dogs, and watch the last firework fizzle out on the driveway, it can only mean one thing – six months left till Christmas.

Christmas in July, an event that now is commonplace in the American lexicon, started as a line in an 1892 Opera when children sang Christmas carols during the summer months. Since then, it has become a retail holiday which marks the halfway point between each holiday season. Consisting of sales and various promotions, Christmas in July online interest has risen year over year as seen by the graph below from Insights for Search.

Christmas in July has a few benefits for both retailers and customers. Retailers can get a sense of how consumers will spend during the upcoming Holiday season, with some sources citing strong correlation between July and December sales. It also presents an opportunity for retailers to liquidate inventory to make room for holiday stock. Consumers will benefit from free shipping and deep discounts.

From an AdWords perspective, there are a few key best practices for holidays like Christmas in July.

Be aware of what your competition is doing. Note changes in ad text used by other businesses leading up to the end of the month. Promotions in the ad text can help CTR

Adjust sitelinks to highlight July sales and drive traffic to special promotional landing pages

Add in new keywords for specific Christmas in July queries

Opt into all devices to ensure you’ll show to users no matter where they are

Contextually targeted campaigns can show ads when users are reading about the holiday, and remarketing can catch users who have been to your site for past sales or offers

Whether you’re shopping or selling, Christmas in July represents an interesting phenomenon in the world of retail created holiday, and with interest rising year over year it is sure to be around for quite a while. Only 166 days left till Christmas!